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April 23, 2008
Mickey Drexler knows me
Does this dress make my hips look big?
It was a question for which I needed an honest answer this weekend as I shopped at J. Crew. My salesperson complied.
"Yes, it does," she said. She smartly suggested another, more flattering dress instead. Thank you. I appreciated the honest advice.
Long-time readers of the Church probably know I love J. Crew, which continues to impress me with its turnaround from an average retailer into a dynamic store. CEO Mickey Drexler is clearly driven by a fanatical mission to understand what his customers want. He spends part of almost every day visiting stores. He talks with employees asking what is selling and what isn't. He chats up customers for feedback and comments.
Yesterday, a salesperson offered me a chilled bottled water as I entered the dressing room, something usually reserved for higher-end boutiques. My salesperson was highly attentive and she (and her colleagues) gave me great advice on what looked good and what didn't.
One thing Drexler must have learned from his chats with customers is an offer I received shortly after my store visit: a J. Crew personal shopper. I can schedule an appointment before and after the store is closed. Wow. Exactly what I want!
By listening to customers (not just once, but continually), J. Crew has learned that some of us who aren't afraid to part with our cash want someone to help style us and do it on our schedule. No wonder J. Crew is enjoying a 14% increase in revenue (from 2006-2007) while other retailers are floundering or simply closing stores in the face of a recession.
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Wow! Another great example of customer service! It seems that with the decline in spending these days due to people trying to conserve their money, companies are resorting to a more personal approach with customers -- which they should have had anyways! Great to hear this!
White House/Black Market did something similar. My CEO, her three sisters and her mother went into the store to shop for a vacation that was coming up. The manager at the store offered to open after hours for the family to come in and have a personal shopping evening. They were quite impressed with the service, not sure if they took the manager up on the offer though.
What a fabulous story!! Sounds like STAR TREATMENT to me. I'm going to head to my nearest J Crew....
I have to say, I'm not surprised at J Crew's innovation and success. They continually impress me with their dedication to the customer experience. Just last week I emailed their support staff to have my address removed from their catalog mailing list (I love trees slightly more than I love flipping the glossy pages) and I received a prompt, courteous response explaining that they understood and telling me how long it would take for the service to change (due to mailing catalogs months ahead of time). I was, as always, completely satisfied. I will be a faithful shopper to the end.
Along with it's great customer service you can't beat the quality that J.Crew puts into it's garments. I've got a couple of J.Crew roll-neck sweaters that are going on 10 + years of usage.
Another great example of how Customer Service is the great differentiator. From the water bottle being offered to the candid feedback and accompanying suggested clothing, it is apparent that they take it seriously....and it is paying off.
It's the "little" things that make a big difference. I love shopping at a locally owned clothing store - because: a. they remember me; b. they tell me if the pants make me look like the backend of a bus. Then they make recommendations of alternatives.
Why is this so hard for companies to understand? They don't need to spend bazillions on glitzy ads with celebrities. They need to pay attention to their customers!
After years of being a catalog customer through college and into my early professional career, I thought I'd out "grown" J.Crew. But with a customer approach like that, I'll definietly take another look. Thx for the tip!
_j
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CorePage | Know more. Sell faster.
Mickey Drexler is fantastic at turning around brands. He did an awesome job when he was the head of GAP. I personally worked for GAP when he was in power and he made all the difference.
I think aside from the customer service, one of the key points of your post was also the salesperson's honesty with the customer. Too often sales say whatever is needed to just keep the customer happy, hoping to close the immediate deal. Tactful honesty scores so many more points, not just with the momentary sale but with gaining the customer's trust to come back again and seek your advice for additional service/product in the future. Our fast-paced Internet world seems to have generally forgotten this critical customer value these days. I'm cross-linking your post in our blog so our readers can learn from the same good example as well. -TL
I think that during these tough economic times, those that are committed to superior customer service are the ones that are going to make it through. Listening to your customers and serving their best interests and being honest doesn't cost much, but the benefits are huge.
Although this was a consumer retail anecdote, B2B companies could thrive utilizing this mindset! We have had to deal with B2B service providers in our business who've sold us big ticket items that we didn't need. It cost us and them both dearly. Unnecessary cash spend and time wasted for us, future business for them. We can't refer them new business because we don't want others to have that negative experience. And, when people ask us about them, we tell them our experience (we don't bash that company, but we relay the facts).
We're not perfect either, but we try to go above and beyond customer expectations each time we have an opportunity.
P,S, I wish we had a J. Crew in our town!
Honesty in a retail store - amazing. That alone is worth checking out J. Crew. I recently redid my closet with the help of a friend, and much to my dismay I ended up weeding out several outfits that were my most recent purchases. I think the key to retail honesty is to make it safe for salespeople to tell someone, no, that's not it, and like this salesperson did, find something else. Otherwise it is laziness at best and fraud at worst.
